By common



'April 29, 1930. os. T. wEsTLAKE LOCOMOTIVE TRAILER TRUCK Original *.Filed April 4, 192,5 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 center." 7- is a trailertruck frame Reissued pr. 219, 1930 UNITED STATE-s PATENT OFFICE CHARLES T. WESTLARE, DECEASED, LATE OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, RY COMMON- WEALTII STEEL COMPANY, or' GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNEE, ASSIGNOR, BY IIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION, OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE LOCOMOTIvE ,TRAILER TRUCK originaINo. 1,675,679, dated July a, 192s), serial No.' 20,832, i v led August 17, 1929. Serial Thisinvention relates to a new and useful Improvement in locomotive traller trucks and more particularly to the bearings which transfer a portion of the load carried by the locomotive frame to the trailer truck.

The object of the invention is to provide a rocker bearing at the rear of the trailer truck that will perform all thefunctions customary for this member and act as a centering means so .that the trailer truck will truly y follow and be aligned vwith the driving wheels.

Another object is to provide a method of aligning the various members of the trailer truck so that there will be no tendency for the trailer trlick not to truly follow thev driving wheels under ordinary conditions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts,

lhereinafter more fully described and claimed,

and illustrated in ings, in which- 1 Figure 1 is a side view of the trailer truck and the 'cradle portion of the locomotive the accompanying drawi the cradle connected to the forward end of the locomo, tive cradle by. a vpin 8. through a ball and Socket or universal connection 9.

The trailer truck frame is of customary .Ing arms 3 are preferablyformed integrally Awith the cradle. TWO depending lugs or projections 4 and 5 are located on the undel'surface of the Side bearing arms. Between these lugs a bearing plate 6 is fixed. The underside ofthe bearing plate is divided vinto vtwo inclined portions sloping downwardly from .the

tering means to arrange the rocker and lts pivotally centers.

Elea April 4, 1925. Appucatinn for reissue No. 386,625.

wish-bone construction in that it comprises side members 10`and 1l, end member 12, and pedestals 13 and 14. The truck frame is supported in a Well known manner by the truck spring 31 andthe equalizing lever 38 and links 39 whereby the truck load is equalized withthe main frame spring system, the rear end of which is indicated by the rear driver sprln'gAO. The corners .of the trailer truck are depressed at 15 forming pockets. The

top surfaces of thepockets are provided with slightly raised and finished surfaces 16 havingholes 17 and 18 drllled therethrough. 'A

rocker seat bearing 1 9having dowels 20 and 21 as parts thereofis adapted to be positioned on the nished surface 16 Aand held in-place by placingthe dowels 20 and 21 through holes 17 and 18 in this linishe'd surface. Upstanding sides 22 are provided on the rocker seat bearing. The rocker Seat 23 rests on the seat bearing and is held against disoverlappingends 24 and by the rocker placement by upstanding sides 22 of the rocker seat bear-- 1n 'giwo parallel grooves or sockets 25 are equidistantly spaced from the center of the top surface of the rocker seat. 'A rocker member 26 is provided on the bottom with two spaced cylindrical members 27 adapted to seat in the parallel grooves 25. This rocker', while formed in onecontinuous piece, has its top surfaceequally divided into two curved portions, both being arcs of equal length and Struck lfrom equal radii but from dIEerent Openings28- are provided in thetop surface of the'rocker on either side of the center. The rocker 26l Vsupports the bearing plate 6 Which'is kprovided on each of its inclined undersurfaces with a depending tapered lug 29. These lugs are adapted to pass- .through the openings 28in the rocker and maintain the proper relation between the parts. y

It is preferable in the adaptation of the cencorrelated parts so that their longitudinal center line is tangent to an arc Struckfrom the ball andsocket connection V9 between the trailer truck and the cradle of the locomotive the bearing plates through the center of the rocker. To obtain thisV arrangement, he ends of the bearing 4plates 6 are diagonally cut and the dowels of the rocker seat bearing are positioned to align this member with the bearing plate.

In the operation of the improved trailer truck it is to be understood that there isla complete rocker bearing assembly on each of the corners 15 of the trailer truck. When the locomotive is `traveling along a straight track, the normal position is that shown by the full lines in Figure 3 with the peak of the rocker 26 resting in the angle formed by the inclined portions of vthe undersurface of the bearing plate 6. Both cylindrical members 27 nof the rocker rest in their sockets 25. Upon entering a curve, the driving wheels 30 of the locomotive deviate from the line of travel and swing the cradle with them. y Supposing this curve to be to the left, the cradle would move to the right relative to the trailer truck and produce a position of the parts in the rocker bearing assembly as showi by the dotted lines in Figure 3. The rocker 26 is tilted so that it now is supported by only one of the off-centered cylindrical members 27,4and the lugs 29 prevent the bearing plates 6 from sliding over the rocker. This results in either lifting the cradle or compressing the springs 31, or both, to increase the distance between the trailer truck and the cradle. Hence, the inclined undersurfaces of tend to increase the load on the trailer truck. Upon regainin the straight track, the additional load whic was temporarily placed upon the trailer truck tends by gravity to realign the trailer truck with the driving wheels. The upper surface of the rocker seeks the highest point of the bearing plate and the load tends to turn the rocker on its single ivot point until the second cylindrical mem- Eer 27 seats. in its socket when further movement, due to the track curving to the right and the resulting shifting of pivot points and the 'opposite slope of the bottom surface ofthe bearing plate would again kincrease the distance between the cradle and the trailer truck and increase the load on the truck.

The action of the rocker in increasing the distance between the trailer truck frame and the locomotive cradlechanges the angle 37 formed by these members, and consequently the relation between the bearin plate 6 and the rocker seat bearing 19 is c anged. To compensate for this and prevent the rocker 26 from having only partial contact with the bearing plate 6, the top surface o f the rocker seat bearing is concavely curved transversely of the direction of movement of the rocker.

lThe undersurface of the rocker seat 23 1s correspondingly convexly curved so that nthe rocker and rocker seat may move as a unit in i the socket thus formed and at all times maintain a maximum contact between the rocker and the bearing plate. The upstanding sides 22 of the rocker seat bearing limit this movement and prevent any misalignment between the rocker and rocker seat.

In assembling the improved trailer truck it is frequently found that inequalites in the steel, irregular shrinkage, errors in the mold assembly, and `various other causes produce slight distortions which may cause undue flange wear on the trailer truck wheels and consequently produce anrunnecessary load on the locomotive.

To insure proper alignment of the trailer truck wheels with the driving wheels of the locomotive, a longitudinal centerline 32 is established. Measurements taken from the line 32 along line 33 and a predetermined measurement found by experiment in prac-v tice from the pivot pointof the trailer truck at 34 along line 35 establish the proper location of the front faces of the pedestals` which are machined as determined '.by the above measurements. The location of the rocker seat bearing 19 is established by measurements taken from the longitudinal center line 32 and from the iinished surfaces of the pedestals andthe holes 17 and 18 are drilled ac l i cordingly.

Each pair of holes 17 and 18 is so located that the longitudinal center line of the bearing assembly will be tangent to an arc drawn from the pivot point of the trailer truck.

c The principal precaution necessary in making these aforementioned measurements is 4that each of the pair of pedestals must be located the same distance from the longitudinal center line and the same distance from the pivot point of the trailer truck. The same is true of the location of the holes 17 and 18. They must be equidistant from the longitudinal center line and equidistant from the finished surfaces of the pedestals.

The improved method of locating the essential elements of the trailer truck enables quantity production without individual fitting of each piece with theiassurance that the assemb led structure, when attached to a locomotlve, will truly follow the driving wheels with minimum resistance and that when fol lowing the driving wheels along a straight track the distance between the cradle and the trailer truck will be constant and the parts normally as shown by the full lines in Figure 3. Shims 36 may be placed under the rocker seat bearing 19 in order to adjust the height of the cradle relative to the truck and thereby put the desired load upon the trailer truck as it is to be understood that in the present structure the distance between the trailer truck and cradle determines the load carried by the ,trailer truck and provides for the proper equalization and loads on the axles.

It is obvious that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts ofthe improved trailer truck can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the following claims. K

What is claimed is- 1. A locomotive having a cradle and a trailer truck connected thereto, a bearing between said cradle and said trailer truck, and means as a part of said bearing for regulating the normal load of said trailer truck.

2. A locomotive having a cradle and a trailer truck connected thereto, and a bearing between said cradle and said trailer truck, said bearing provided with means to deter,- mine the normal load of said trailer truck.

3.' A locomotive having a cradle and a trailer truck. connected thereto, a bearing between said cradle and said trailer truck, said bearing comprising a curved face rocker piv-v otally mounted, a bearing plate mounted on saidpradle adapted for `contact with said bearing, and lugsv on said bearing plate engaging said rocker.

4. The method of making'a trailer truck trame, which frame includes converging side members terminating in a socket, pedestals formed integrally with said sidemembers, an end member, bearing pockets in each corner of the frame, and bearings adapted to be placed in said pockets, which method consists in first finishing the inner surfaces of the pedestals atright angles to an'established longitudinal center line equidistant from said longitudinal center line and from said'socket,

Y and then drilling holes in the linished surface of said corner pockets, said holes being so arranged as to carry the bearings adapted to fit therein equidistant from said longitudinal center line and equidistant from the finished surfaces of the near pedestal.

5. The method of making a trailer truck frame, which includes converging side memintegrall bers terminating in a socket, pedestals formed with said side members, an end member, caring pockets in eachl corner of the frame, and bearings adapted to be placed in said pockets, which method consists in first finishing the inner surfaces of the pedestals at right angles to an established longitudinal center line equidistant from said longitudinal center line and from said socket, and then drilling holes in the finished surface of-said corner pockets, said holes being so arranged i as to carry the bearings adapted to fit therein equidistant from said longitudinal center' line, tangent to an arc struck from the said socket.

6. The-method of making a trailer truck frame of the wish-bone type, which frame includes -converging side members terminating in a socket,` said side members having pedestals as partsthereof, an end member, bear ing pockets, and bearings which method consists in drilling holes in said pockets to mount each of said 'bearings at equal angles to and Ytween said cradle and said trailer truck, said bearing comprising a curved face rocker pivotally mounted, a bearing plate, mounted upon said cradle adapted for contact with H' said bearing, and lugs on said bearing platef at least one of which is always in engagement with said rocker.

8. In combination, a railway vehicle body frame, a truck frame pivo'tally connectedto saidbody frame, and a rocker device on said truck frame supporting said body frame4 at a point spaced longitudinally of the vehicle from the pivotal connection, said' device including an element adapted to rock transversely and longitudinally of the vehicle.

9. In combination, a railway vehicle body frame, a truck frame pivotally connected to said body frame, and a rocker device on said' truck frame supporting said body frame at .a I point spaced longitudinally of the' vehicle from the pivotal connection, said device incluI ing an element adapted to rock transversely of the vehicle about one pivot and longitudinally'of the vehicle about another pivot.

10. vIn combination; a railway vehicle body I. I

frame, a truck frame pivotally connected to said body frame, and a rocker device on said truck frame supporting said body frame at a point spaced longitudinally of the vehicle from' the pivotal connection, said device being adapted to pivot transversely and longitudinally of the vehicle, a member between said frocker and said body frame, and elements on said rocker and member for positively maintaining horizontal engagement thereof.

11. In a locomotive, a body frame, a truck frame pivoted to said body frame," and a rocker centering device including parts secured to said body frame and to said truck frame respectively and comprising a seat and a rocker having spaced pivots on said seat,

said rocke` andseat being adapted to rock as a unit transversely of the plane of rocking movement of said rocker on said seat.

A12.4 In a locomotive, a cradle, a trailer truck connected to said cradle, a centering device between said cradle and trailer truck,.said 'device comprising a base member for rigid application to a truck, a rocker seat having a 7 -connected to said cradle, a centering device between said cradle and. trailer truck, said device comprising a base member for rigid application to a truck, a rocker seat mounted on said base member so as to pivot thereon in an upright plane, a rocker pivoted about a pre- 5 determined axis on said seat so as to tilt thereon in an upright plane extending transversely 2 y of said first mentioned plane, an element rest n ing on said rocker for rigid application to said Cradle, andinterengaging parts on said rocker and element for maintaining desired relation between them.

14. In combination, a railway Vehicle body frame, a truck frame pivotally connected to said body frame, a centering device rocker mounted on said truck frame, and a rocker supported centering device member mounted on said body frame; said rocker and member having interengaging load-transferring faces, and elements extending from said member faoe through said rocker face for engaging said rocker and maintaining liliterengagemer1t l between said rocker and member. i

Subscribed this 17th day of July, 1929.

COMMONWEALTH STEEL COMPANY,

Assgneavof Cha/rles T. Westlake, deceased.

By H. M. PFLAGER,

Senior Vice-President. 

